


Falling for you

by The_Girl_Who_Watched_TV



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, canon divergent after season 2 finale, sick fic kind of, some inspiration from the season 3 trailer some things ignored
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Girl_Who_Watched_TV/pseuds/The_Girl_Who_Watched_TV
Summary: Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso have overcome their differences and are now running a dojo together. When we meet them in this story they're doing some maintenance and well... things don't go right.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 14
Kudos: 80
Collections: Cobra Kai Secret Santa Exchange





	Falling for you

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a gift for libertinepast in the Cobra Kai Secret Santa.

Daniel could pinpoint the exact moment everything had changed. At least for him. The second Johnny decided to push Daniel out of the way to take care of several people who were ready to fight. It had taken him a moment to realize what had happened, but he hadn’t had time to reflect on it there and then before he joined Johnny in taking the men down. But afterwards, when he’d seen Johnny clutching his already injured hand, seeing the pain clear as day on his face. He’d seen someone new. Someone who had pushed him out of the way to fight alone, who he’d worked with in perfect harmony without even trying. And it had been kind of magical. They shouldn’t have worked that well together, but they did. And it was honestly overwhelming.

From that moment they’d grown closer and closer and Daniel had started to evaluate all aspects of his life. His marriage, his job and so on. And he’d come to the conclusion that he’d strayed too far from who he was and wanted to be. He’d divorced Amanda and he’d quit his job at the dealership. He still shared ownership with her but they’d both agreed that Daniel would be much happier, teaching karate. He had been surprised at how well Amanda had taken it all and it had been strange in the beginning, navigating their new relationship but they’d soon found their way back to being friends and they were both happy. During all that he’d invited Johnny to run the dojo together, sharing it. Daniel had reassured Johnny that they’d still be Miyagi-do and Cobra Kai and while Johnny had been reluctant at first, he had changed his mind when he got his Cobra kids back. They’d managed to make two different styles come together in perfect balance. Daniel liked to think that Mr. Miyagi would have been proud of him for finally finding balance in his life and he probably wouldn’t have been surprised to see that Johnny Lawrence was the one who brought balance into Daniel’s life, even if Daniel himself had been.

* * *

It had taken Johnny and Daniel some time to settle into their new roles as ‘not enemies’. So long that Daniel had managed to go through a divorce, much to Johnny’s surprise. From what he’d seen of them as a couple, they had looked perfect for each other. But apparently not, one day out of the blue Daniel had asked him to help him carry several boxes into the dojo and he had casually mentioned that he’d asked for a divorce. Johnny had expected him to look heartbroken, but he had seemed happy and so did Amanda when she occasionally came by the dojo to drop off Anthony and chat for a bit. She always asked him how Robby was and how the classes were going. Johnny still felt guilty about his relationship with his son, but he had managed to at least _start_ to patch it up. They spent time together and he got to be a part of his son’s life. They still had a long way to go, but this time Johnny wasn’t going anywhere. And after everything that had happened, all of their lives had gone back to fairly normal and he and Daniel had actually started to work together. They both taught the same kids, just with different approaches. And they shared a dojo. It was nice. Fun even.

This particular day wasn’t so fun, Johnny thought as he stood at the end of the garden. Daniel had made him paint the fence despite the fact that it looked absolutely fine, at least according to Johnny’s standards. He’d taken a break and stood watching Daniel standing on a ladder that was propped up against the house. He had his shirtsleeves rolled up and his trousers hugged him in all of the right places. Not that Johnny had noticed that or knew what Daniel’s right places were. But he was standing there, watching Daniel work nonetheless. Until he felt his heart stop. He watched as Daniel slipped and both him and the ladder came crashing towards the ground. Johnny couldn’t move until he heard the slight thud that Daniel’s body made as it reached the ground.

”Daniel!” Johnny’s voice cut through the fog in Daniel’s head, sending a shiver down his spine. Johnny never called him Daniel, not unless it was followed by his last name. He tried to answer him.

“J…” He couldn’t make a sound, he tried to clear his throat.

“Johnny…” He managed to say, his voice barely audible.

“Daniel!” He heard Johnny’s voice coming closer.

“What the fuck did you do?!” Johnny’s heart was beating far too fast and sweat had begun to pour out from the shock of seeing Daniel fall to the ground.

“I… my head…” Daniel motioned towards it. He was vaguely aware of Johnny speaking to someone.

“Stay with me, LaRusso. I called an ambulance.” Daniel was slightly disappointed by Johnny’s use of his last name, but that thought was soon replaced by thoughts of his spinning head.

“I told you _I_ could do that. But _noo_ , I had to paint the fence instead. Stupid…” Johnny was talking more to himself than he was to Daniel, but if Daniel happened to be listening to him. Good. He should know when he was being stupid, which was most of the time. And Johnny was always happy to remind him of it. But now. Now it didn’t feel as good, Daniel didn’t protest or retaliate. He laid quiet, with his eyes closed. Johnny looked at Daniel’s pale face.

“You doing okay there, LaRusso?” He asked softly.

“Mm…” Daniel wanted to say more but he couldn’t. Johnny let out a sigh of relief when he heard the ambulance approaching. He stepped aside as the professionals did their job.

“Do you want to go with him?” Johnny hesitated before giving a slight nod. It wasn’t that he was worried, he just wanted to help him. He looked at Daniel as they drove to the hospital and before he knew what he was doing. He reached out and took Daniel’s hand in his, it was warm and soft. It calmed him slightly when he felt Daniel’s fingers close around his hand, to know that he was still there. When he looked up, he saw the paramedic looking at him and he quickly dropped Daniel’s hand and leaned back. He tried to ignore the worry he felt when he saw Daniel laying there, tried to think about how stupid he had been for insisting on going up that ladder. But he didn’t have it in him. He was worried. And if he had been a braver man, he might even go so far as to say that he cared for Daniel. But he didn’t want to go there. He closed his eyes, praying to whoever was listening. That Daniel would be okay.

* * *

When they reached the hospital, Daniel was whisked away, and all Johnny could do was wait. He sat down heavily on a chair, staring at the floor until he heard a woman asking for Daniel. It was Daniel’s mother, he hadn’t seen her since he and Daniel had graduated high school. He rose from his chair and approached her.

“Mrs. LaRusso?” He said quietly, as if not to frighten her. She looked scared enough as it was from being at the hospital, looking for her son.

“You!” She turned towards him, sounding angry. So, she remembered him. Great.

“I…”

“Did you do this?! Wasn’t it enough, doing what you did to him back then?!” Johnny looked at her with wide eyes.

“I told him he couldn’t trust you!” Johnny took a couple of steps back.

“I didn’t! I wouldn’t!” He had to admit that he had hated Daniel before, and he’d held onto that hate for far too long. But he didn’t feel like that anymore. The thought of hurting him intentionally, or even unintentionally made his stomach turn into knots.

“You want me to believe that?” She said, voice low and doubtful.

“It’s the truth! He fell off a ladder!” She huffed at that, but the fight seemed to leave her and she walked over to the chairs to sit down. Johnny followed her slowly and sat down a couple of seats away from her. He could feel her glaring at him occasionally, but he pretended not to notice. He kept his eyes on the doors leading to the ward, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on.

“Mrs. LaRusso?” They both stood up when the doctor approached them.

“Yes. Is my son okay?” Johnny glanced at her as she spoke. She sounded calmer than Johnny would have.

“He’s okay, under the circumstances. He’s got a mild concussion and he’s a bit bruised. But he’ll be fine.”

“Can I see him?”

“If there’s someone that can look after him, you can take him home.”

“I’ll take care of him!” Johnny snapped his mouth shut when he realized what he’d said. What the hell was he thinking?

“Okay, one of the nurses will help you with that. Take care.” He shook both of their hands before walking off. Lucille was looking at Johnny with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

“Um… I…”

“Let’s see what Daniel wants.” She gave him one last look before she turned around to talk to the nurse.

* * *

“Daniel?” Lucille said softly as she walked towards Daniel’s bed. She reached out her hand and stroked his forehead.

“Mom, you didn’t have to come.” Daniel spoke slowly and quietly. Johnny hung back, feeling out of place.

“The doctor said that you could go home if someone looks after you.” She looked over her shoulder at Johnny before continuing.

“Johnny offered to do it. But I’m more than happy to bring you home with me.” She sounded as if she had already decided to bring Daniel home with her, no matter what Daniel himself said about it. And Johnny didn’t blame her.

“Oh… um…” Daniel’s head was still kind of foggy. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. He remembered Johnny’s voice calling out his name, how it had made him feel. And he was fairly certain that he’d held his hand in the ambulance. The thought of having Johnny taking care of him filled him with excitement. Which was an odd reaction, he had to admit to himself. It was a stupid idea really.

“I’d like to take Johnny up on his offer.” He said and that was that. He was sure he was going to regret it in the future. But right now, it felt like the right decision.

“Sweetie, are you sure? You had quite the accident, maybe…” Lucille used her mom voice, the one that usually made Daniel hesitate and feel like a kid again. He knew that she didn’t approve of Johnny. She had told him so multiple times. Bringing up what had happened between them. How he should cut Johnny out of his life completely. But he didn’t want to do that. The more time he spent with Johnny, the more he liked him. He still remembered what Johnny had done to him, but he felt that they’d gotten over that. That they’d grown closer through their shared experiences, shared trauma. Maybe they were a both a little broken and possibly a bit messed up. But that’s what made them work together. They’d both been reluctant to admit it in the beginning, and they hadn’t really talked about it. But Daniel assumed that Johnny felt the same. Or at least he hoped he did.

“I’m sure.” Daniel sounded firm and Lucille looked back at Johnny again. Johnny in turn was looking at Daniel, he was stunned. He didn’t think that Daniel would actually agree. But here they were. Maybe it was a mistake. Johnny had just learned to take care of himself properly, and now he’d agreed to take care of a person with a concussion. He should be protesting, should take back the offer. But before he knew it, they were on the way back to the house.

* * *

**A few days later**

“The doctor said that you should stay in bed.”

“I feel fine.” Johnny pushed him back into the bed gently. It had been easy the first couple of days, Daniel had been resting and kept quiet. Johnny had brought him water and sandwiches, which seemed to be the only thing Daniel could manage to eat. While constantly keeping an eye on him. And he’d sat on a chair, watching Daniel sleep. Just to keep him from dying, no other reason. But now, now he was being a pain. He kept asking for things that he shouldn’t have and Johnny was pretty sure that if he wasn’t there to stop him, Daniel would start doing his exercises again.

“I’m not calling another ambulance because you’re being stubborn.”

“Fine, then _you_ can go get my laptop.” Johnny crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

“Come on! I need something to do! I’m bored!” Johnny had to force himself not to smile. A grown man shouldn’t look so adorable when he was acting like a child. And yet, Daniel LaRusso was definitely adorable. Not that Johnny would ever admit that to anyone. But it was the truth.

“Tough.” Johnny said firmly and watched as Daniel groaned and sank back into his pillows. He stood watching him for a few seconds before he went out into the kitchen to continue his cooking.

“You’re worse than my mother.” Daniel muttered.

“I heard that.” Johnny shouted.

“Good!” Daniel shouted back, wincing at the pain it caused him. So maybe he wasn’t as fine as he pretended to be. But he had to do something. While it was nice to have Johnny helping him, he felt embarrassed. The fact that he enjoyed being taken care of by Johnny Lawrence was something he tried to ignore. He’d once, briefly played around with the thought of asking him out, but he’d quickly realized that it would end in disaster. Or a punch to the face, which was the most likely outcome. Johnny didn’t care about him in that way, most likely didn’t care about any man in that way. But Daniel was by far the least likely person to be the object of Johnny’s affection. When he first started having these kinds of thoughts about Johnny he’d dismissed them as some sort of weird intrusive thought. But the more time they’d spent together, the more he’d started to realize that he most definitely did have intense feelings for his former rival. He’d started to question his whole identity, who he was, what he liked, _who_ he liked. The answer had shocked him and it had scared him. He’d realized that he no longer had feelings for his wife. Not romantic feelings anyway. He still loved Amanda, but he’d realized that the feelings he had was just platonic. But he did have romantic feelings for Johnny. He’d spent many nights googling, trying to figure out what was going on in his head, he’d asked himself if he was in fact gay. If he’d been lying to himself his whole life. But he’d eventually come to the conclusion that he did still find women attractive. And that he was in fact bisexual. He had just happened to fall for Johnny Lawrence, his former rival of all people. Who was now taking care of him. It was too much. They shouldn’t have let him make such a decision when he’d just suffered a head injury. He sighed and sat up again. He was getting out of bed, whether Johnny liked it or not. He took a moment to steady himself when he was finally on his feet. So far, so good. He walked slowly into the kitchen.

“You don’t have to do that.” He said when he saw Johnny preparing lunch. Johnny turned around, he scowled at Daniel.

“I told you to stay in bed.”

“And I said that I feel fine.”

“I don’t even know why I bother.” Johnny said, turning back to what he was doing.

“You don’t have to. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Do you want your mother to kill me?”

“She wouldn’t kill you… probably. Anyway, I’m an adult and I don’t need my mother to fight my battles for me. Besides, I was the one who wanted you here… I mean, I thought you would be less of a pain than my mother…” He walked closer to Johnny to see what he was cooking.

“What are yo…” He stopped himself when his head began to spin slightly and he steadied himself against the counter. He felt two strong hands on his waist and his pulse quickened.

“Hey! You okay?” Daniel opened his eyes and was met by Johnny being far too close. Worry on his face. Daniel swallowed hard.

“Yeah, just a bit dizzy. It’s fine.” Johnny looked him in the eyes for a few seconds before grabbing his shoulders, leading him to the kitchen table. He pushed him down into a chair.

“Can you sit still for five seconds?” He sounded exasperated and Daniel did as he was told.

“Sorry…” Johnny went back to cooking, occasionally glancing at Daniel. To make sure that he was staying put. Daniel watched him, he didn’t know that Johnny could cook. He’d assumed that he lived on meals that you just had to heat in the oven or the microwave. But there he was. Chopping vegetables and stirring in pots and pans. Daniel smiled softly. This was something he could get used to. Maybe they could cook together, work in tandem as they did when they were training. He shook himself mentally. Once again he was getting ahead of himself. He was just being nice because Daniel was injured. When he was healed, everything would get back to how it had been before he fell of the ladder. They’d annoy each other, Johnny would talk back every time Daniel tried to teach him something. And Daniel would have to take a moment to remember his breathing exercises before he accidentally blew up at Johnny for being annoying. And having fun and laughing together, as friends. But for now, he would enjoy the domesticity for as long as he could.

“There we go, LaRusso.” Johnny placed the food on the table, he was just about to serve him when Daniel put a hand on his. Stopping him from scooping up the pasta on his plate.

“Please, let me do this one thing myself.” Johnny withdrew his hand quickly and murmured.

“Fine.”

“So, you’re scared of my mom, huh?” Daniel sounded amused.

“I’m… not…”

“Uh huh. Then why did you offer to take care of me?” He was genuinely curios about this. What did Johnny gain from doing it?

“… because you obviously can’t do it yourself. You can’t even stand on a ladder without falling off.” He’d been afraid of that question, _Johnny_ knew the real reason as to why he had wanted to take care of Daniel. But he couldn’t stand the thought of Daniel finding out the truth.

“I slipped!”

“And if you’d let me do it in the first place, we wouldn’t be here!” Johnny raised his voice a little, he could still remember the feeling of dread that had filled him when he saw Daniel fall. And it bothered him that Daniel wasn’t taking it more seriously.

“Aww, so you do care about me. That’s sweet.” Daniel mocked him but he did it in a soft voice, some might have called it flirting.

“That’s not… just eat.” Johnny desperately wanted them to change the subject. They were getting dangerously close to the truth.

“This is really good.” Daniel sounded surprised.

“Why are you surprised?”

“Honestly? I didn’t think you could cook.”

“You’re not the only one in the world who knows how to cook, LaRusso.”

“It’s just… I don’t know, I just can’t see it.”

“I just… cooked…” Johnny said in disbelief.

“Maybe I was hallucinating…” Daniel shrugged and hid his smile behind his glass of water.

“Okay, I’m never cooking for you again.”

“You’d like to cook for me again?”

“… no… I’m just saying…”

“That you’d like to cook for me.”

“No, you know what. I’m not going to bite. I know that you’re trying to annoy me.” Johnny shoved food into his mouth.

“I’m sick. And you won’t let me use the laptop. It’s this or Netflix.” Johnny shook his head and smiled.

“Fine, you can _listen_ to a movie. If you finish your vegetables.” He teased.

“Deal.” Daniel said and smiled widely. Johnny watched him as he ate. He had to admit that it was nice, them eating together. Teasing each other. Being near each other in a way that was way more intimate than being close while sparring was. He could get used to this. Not having to go home to his shitty apartment at the end of the day. Staying behind when the kids went home, walking into the kitchen and cooking together. He did enjoy cooking, he just didn’t feel the need to do it for himself. He loved seeing Daniel’s face as he took bite after bite, appreciation clear on his face. It made the effort seem worthwhile. But it scared him. He didn’t know when he’d started to feel like that. That Daniel was the key to his happiness. He hated how soppy he sounded. But he couldn’t help it. Daniel made him feel something he hadn’t really felt since Ali. That rush of young love, like it was the most important thing in the world. If they’d just look at you and smile, it would be enough to keep you living. Like it was the only thing that mattered. And Daniel gave him that. It had taken them time, but now Daniel looked at him and he’d smile. And Johnny did everything he could to make it happen, again, again and again. He’d tease him, tell him jokes. Whatever it took. But it wasn’t just that. It was the fact that Daniel in turn made _him_ laugh too. He was honestly really funny. Johnny found himself having to hide his smile on a daily basis, to not let Daniel see how much he affected him. He spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to be with Daniel. And while the thought of being with a man didn’t freak him out, he had known for years that he found men attractive. It was the thought of being vulnerable in front of Daniel that stopped him from saying anything. He didn’t want to expose his secret. While he was pretty sure that Daniel would be cool with Johnny being bisexual, the doubt was still there. He might freak out. And if he did, he might figure out that Johnny liked him and he would tell him to go to hell. He couldn’t risk that. So he was careful to not let any clue about his sexuality slip through. Even if that meant that he’d have to live with the ‘what if’.

* * *

**A few more days later**

“Oh, great. More LaRusso’s.” Johnny shook his head when he saw Sam and Anthony walking towards the dojo, Amanda trailing behind them. It was the first time they’d come to stay since Daniel’s accident. They’d all decided that it was best to let him rest before having the kids over.

“Hey, that’s my kids you’re talking about.” Daniel said as he walked up behind Johnny to peer over his shoulder.

“I know. Why do you think I said it like that?” Daniel hit him playfully on the arm before he went outside to meet his kids, pulling them both into a tight hug. Johnny took a couple of steps back to give them space. But he didn’t take his eyes of them. He loved seeing the happiness on Daniel’s face when he saw his kids. How he’d light up and smile widely.

“Yeah, Johnny’s actually a good cook. I haven’t been starving if that’s what you’re worried about.” Johnny shook himself and focused on the conversation that seemed to involve him.

“I’m not the one who is worried. It’s your mother. I swear, I’ve spoken to her more this past week than I did during our entire relationship.” Amanda sounded amused.

“I’m sorry, I’ll talk to her.”

“I’m surprised you look so well rested. He’s the worst patient!” She looked over at Johnny and laughed.

“I know! I had to lock his laptop in my car because he kept sneaking it into his bedroom!” Johnny exclaimed before he could stop himself.

“Right! He’s like a child. Let me tell you about that one time he…”

“Okay. That’s quite enough. Thank you both.” Daniel interrupted, slightly embarrassed. It felt the same way it did when his mom had pulled out the baby pictures when he’d brought home his newest girlfriend to meet her. 

“I finally have someone to share the pain with and you’re denying me that.” She shook her head, but she was smiling.

“Well, I should get going. Bye Sam, bye Anthony!” She shouted into the house.

“Bye mom!” They shouted in unison.

“Not even a hug goodbye.” She shook her head again and kissed Daniel on the cheek. She pulled away and gave a small wave to Johnny and went back to her car.

“You should get back to bed.” Johnny said as soon as Amanda stepped inside the car.

“Don’t start again.” Daniel shook his head but he was smiling.

“You’re still ill.”

“I know but my kids just came over, I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t complain to me later when you feel worse.”

“I won’t feel worse.”

“Mm.”

“But thank you. Honestly, you’ve really kept me sane these last few days…” He turned around to face Johnny. He wanted Johnny to know how much he’d enjoyed their time together.

“It’s nothing.”

“It is… for us.” He wanted to tell him everything. His thoughts, his dreams, his hopes, his feelings. But he couldn’t. He was afraid, and now was definitely not the time to make some big love confession. His ex-wife just driving away and his kids in the other room.

“Yeah well… I should get dinner started.” He had to find something to do, once again they’d ended up in dangerous territory. Daniel’s voice soft and low, saying things that sounded romantic to Johnny and he had to convince himself that it was just his imagination.

“No, it’s fine. We’ll order some pizza, the kids will love that.”

“Right… I’ll go back home then… give you some time alone with the kids.” He needed some space.

“You’re welcome to stay…” He hadn’t meant to drive him off. He wanted him to stay.

“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t want to be in the way.”

“You…” But Daniel didn’t get any further before Johnny started to gather up his things and headed out the door.

“Call me if you need any help.” Daniel stood in the doorway, looking at Johnny’s car as it drove away. He already felt lonely, despite his kids being in the other room. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t get dependent on Johnny Lawrence. That he had feelings for him was one thing. But to actually long for him when he wasn’t there was another. He sighed and put on a smile as he walked back into the house.

“Who wants pizza?”

* * *

Johnny opened the door to his apartment and was met by a quiet and dark room. He sighed and kicked the door closed, throwing his bag onto the sofa. He went straight to the fridge and pulled out his regular meal of bologna. He threw the pieces into a frying pan, his thoughts elsewhere. He knew that this day would come, when Daniel wouldn’t need him anymore. When he’d be asked to leave. He’d offered to leave because he couldn’t handle hearing Daniel say those words. Hearing that Daniel didn’t want him there, that he was in the way. It was better to offer to go away. He put his food on a plate and plopped down on the sofa, turning the TV on. He needed something to distract him. He settled for ‘Iron Eagle’. He let the noise from the movie wash over him. And tried to push his thoughts of Daniel to the side.

* * *

**The day after**

“Still alive?” Johnny tried to sound casual. He didn’t quite manage it, but if Daniel noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“Pretty sure.” Daniel smiled weakly.

“Where are the kids?”

“Garden, I needed a bit of quiet.”

“I told you…”

“I know. You were right, happy?”

“One more time, I didn’t hear you.” Johnny grinned. This felt natural. Maybe he’d be able to keep going without Daniel ever finding out the truth.

“You are enjoying this far too much. But fine. Johnny Lawrence, you were right.” Daniel smiled.

“You should be saying that more often.”

“In your dreams.” Daniel snorted. Johnny bit the inside of his cheeks. He did not think that was adorable, He did _not_ think that was adorable. He lost the battle against himself and he grinned.

“Have you eaten?” Johnny asked.

“No, not yet.”

“Right.” Johnny walked over to the cupboards and started to pull out ingredients, pots and pans. Daniel smiled softly and went to help him. As Daniel had thought, they worked perfectly together even in the kitchen. He called the kids back in and asked them to help set the table. It felt like they were a family and Daniel had to stop himself for a moment. They weren’t family. Johnny would never be part of his family and he’d have to get over that. But when he saw Johnny teasing Sam and taunting Anthony in a way that was clearly affectionate, he couldn’t help but indulge in that fantasy. He knew the truth and he had to live with that. But for one meal, he could allow himself to pretend that this was what his future would look like.

* * *

In the days that followed, Johnny found himself lingering after their training sessions or lessons with the kids. Not wanting to leave Daniel’s side. And Daniel seemed to always have an excuse to get Johnny to stay. Like _‘oh it’s late, I’ll make us dinner before you go’_ , _‘I have this new lesson I’ve been planning, mind taking a look at it?’_ and so on. And Johnny stayed every single time, no matter the excuse. He couldn’t help himself. And since Daniel was the one who suggested he stay, he felt that he got a free pass. He wasn’t the one pushing to stay, he was just being nice. That was easy to explain. He didn’t dare ask Daniel to do something together, like go see a movie or go bowling or whatever. That would be far too obvious. Daniel would surely see right through that and the secret would be out.

“I think I’ll make some popcorn and watch a movie tonight.” Daniel said casually as they were walking back to the house after their sparring session. While Daniel wasn’t properly back into shape yet, he’d wanted to get back to sparring and Johnny happily obliged. They’d worked slowly, Daniel deciding the pace and Johnny watching him closely. Looking for signs of it being too much for him.

“Do you want to join me?”

“I don’t know, what are you watching.” Johnny glanced at Daniel. He could handle a movie night with him, as long as Daniel was the one asking.

“If you join me, I’ll let you choose.”

“Then we’re watching _Iron Eagle_.” Johnny responded quickly.

“Okay _, Iron Eagle_ it is. I’ve never seen that.” Johnny stopped dead in his tracks. Daniel turned around to look at him.

“What?” Daniel frowned.

“You’ve never seen _Iron Eagle_?” Johnny asked in disbelief.

“No… why?”

“Why?! It’s the best movie ever made!” Johnny exclaimed.

“I seriously doub…”

“It’s the best movie!”

“Okay, okay. I’m just saying, there are a lot of movies out there. Many of which I’ve seen. Some have even won Oscars.” He sounded amused. He never would have guessed that Johnny could be that obsessed with a movie.

“So? That doesn’t mean anything!” Johnny couldn’t believe that Daniel hadn’t seen the best movie ever made.

“Right… what is it even about?” Daniel realized too late that the question was a mistake. Johnny started to walk again as he began to rant about the movie. Daniel didn’t understand a single thing. He just smiled and nodded at regular intervals.

* * *

Johnny had run home to get the DVD and he’d excitedly popped it in when he got back. Daniel had sat on the couch, smiling softly. It was endearing, watching Johnny be that excited about a movie. They finally settled down on the couch, bowl of popcorn between them and Johnny started the movie.

“Huh, that guy looks a lot like Tom…” Daniel leaned forward to get a better look at the actor on the screen.

“Shh.” Daniel held back his chuckle to not disturb Johnny. It truly felt like a once in a lifetime thing, to see Johnny be enraptured by a cheesy 80s movie.

As the movie progressed, they accidentally touched when they reached for more popcorn and they both held their hands still in the bowl for a moment longer than necessary before grabbing a handful. And Daniel spent more time looking at Johnny than he did the movie. He couldn’t help it. It was truly a glimpse into who Johnny was underneath the mask. He noted where he laughed, where he seemed to lose focus and where he sat quiet, watching the TV intently. Johnny caught his eye when he looked away from the TV.

“You’re not watching.”

“I am!”

“No, you’re not…” Johnny paused the movie and turned to Daniel.

“Why’d you pause it?”

“Because you’re not watching it.”

“I promise you I am!”

“You’re not as subtle as you think, I’ve seen you watching me the entire movie.” It bothered him, not because Daniel didn’t seem to like the movie. But the fact that he seemed to be studying him. It made him nervous.

“I haven’t!”

“Yes, you have. What’s up with that?”

“Nothing, I was just… do you want more popcorn? I can make more!” Daniel stood up and grabbed the bowl. Johnny sat still for a moment before he followed Daniel into the kitchen.

“LaRusso…”

“I’m sorry for being unfocused, I have a lot on my mind.” Daniel had his back turned to Johnny, frantically trying to come up with an excuse. He didn’t think that Johnny would notice him watching him. He poured the popcorn into the pot and turned on the stove.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“What? No. Why? Do you want to say something?” Daniel was starting to panic now. Did Johnny know about his feelings? Had he been so obvious? What would Johnny say? Or more importantly, what would Johnny do? He prepared himself mentally for a fight. Just in case.

“I…” Johnny didn’t know what to say. Should he come clean? What if Daniel rejected him? What if he _didn’t_. Johnny didn’t know which outcome would be worse. If he did tell Daniel that he had feelings for him, everything would change. Not only would he expose what he is, he’d also expose his weakness for one Daniel fucking LaRusso. It was better to keep that secret until he died. Unless…

“Are you seeing someone?” Johnny blurted out. He closed his eyes. That wasn’t what he’d meant to say. But now he had to live with it.

“What?”

“I mean… I heard the kids talking about you being into someone. And I… was curious.” This was getting worse by the second. He was lying about the kids, they’d said no such thing. What if Daniel asked them about it later. He’d find out that Johnny lied and then he’d wonder why he would lie about something like that. He once again felt like a kid with a crush.

“The kids? Um… well, no I’m not seeing anyone… but I am into someone as you put it.” Had the kids managed to figure him out somehow. Had Johnny?

“Right… so, um… is she hot?” Why was he still talking? He begged himself to stop talking, to just walk out the door. Change his name, run away and never look back. Anything to avoid the conversation he’d started.

“Um… yeah… they are…” Johnny’s eyes widened slightly.

“They… damn, LaRusso. Didn’t think you had it in you. So how many are we talking?” Johnny willed his voice to take on a humorous tone. Ignoring the ache in his chest.

“What? No, _they_. As in that _one_ person.”

“Oh, and here I thought you were kind of cool.” Johnny cringed at himself. That hadn’t sound genuine in the least.

“Anyone I know? I’m not gonna steal her. It’s not _my_ thing.” He tried to keep it light, joking. He wanted a name, to maybe get a face that he could direct all his anger and disappointment at.

“It’s…” Before he continued, he took the popcorn from the stove and poured them into the bowl. Was he really doing this? It was now or never. He took a deep breath before he turned around to face Johnny.

“It’s not a woman.”

“It’s not…” Johnny barely dared to breathe. It couldn’t be true, could it?

“A woman, no…”

“Wow… okay…”

“Have anything to say about that?” He got defensive without meaning to. One thing was out of the way, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“No… that’s… cool, man… I guess…” Johnny hesitated, he didn’t know what to say.

“Okay, good…” Daniel wasn’t reassured, despite Johnny’s words.

“So… um… who is _he_?” Johnny didn’t know if this was better or worse. If Daniel was actually into men, it meant that there was technically a chance for him. But that also meant that if Daniel didn’t say his name, Johnny wasn’t good enough for him. And that would hurt, the feeling of being so close and yet not close enough to get what he wanted.

“It’s…” This is it, Daniel thought. There will be no going back after his next sentence.

“No one you know.” And he’d blown it. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t risk whatever it was that he and Johnny had, their friendship.

“Oh… okay…” The little hope that Johnny still had, died instantly. So, it wasn’t him. He should have known. They stood in awkward silence for a moment too long before they went back to finish the movie. They didn’t say a single word for the duration of it, they barely said goodbye when Johnny walked out the door. After Daniel closed the door he went straight to bed, arm thrown over his eyes as he took deep breaths, tears threatening to fall. It was silly really, to lay in bed and cry over a guy, he was after all a grown man. But he’d really messed up. He could have taken a leap of faith. Thrown caution to the wind and he might have ended up with the only thing he desired at the moment. Johnny in his arms. But he’d been afraid. And now he had to live with his cowardice. He groaned and dragged his hands over his face.

* * *

At the same time, Johnny was sitting in his car, head on the steering wheel. He felt stupid. He’d actually, for a moment, believed that Daniel was about to say that he was into him. That the feelings were mutual. But he’d been wrong. And it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him. But that didn’t stop his tears from welling up. He angrily wiped at his eyes before he started his car and drove away, far too fast.

* * *

A few days had passed since their movie night and something had changed. Daniel had hoped that the weirdness of that night would be forgotten, but it hadn’t. If anything, it had gotten worse. Johnny barely said a word to him unless Daniel asked him something and even then, he was mostly met with a yes or a no. It was frustrating, he had been prepared for teasing. For Johnny to make lewd comments about his attraction to men. But he hadn’t done that, it hadn’t come up once. He didn’t know if he should be grateful or worried. On the one hand, he didn’t have to lie about who he liked, but on the other, he kind of wanted Johnny to ask him about the mystery man. Maybe even get jealous. He knew that was pure fantasy and that it would never happen. But the worst thing was that Johnny might be uncomfortable with his confession.

* * *

Johnny tried to ignore the way his stomach hurt when he thought about the mystery man that Daniel liked. The man that was better than him. But could he really blame Daniel? Why would he choose Johnny of all people? He had made Daniel’s life hell in high school. And it had taken them ages as adults to become friends. There was no reason for Daniel to go for Johnny Lawrence. It didn’t matter how much Johnny wanted him to, he’d never be good enough. He wished that Daniel hadn’t told him about his attraction to men, or that he was into someone. It would have been easier to live with.

“Can we talk?” Daniel asked softly. He couldn’t handle another day like the ones before. Johnny completely ignoring him or being rude.

“Why?” Johnny said, it came out harsher than he’d meant.

“You’ve more or less ignored me for days… is it because I told you I like men?” Daniel looked at the ground.

“Why would I care about that? I don’t care where you want to put yo…” He sounded angry and Daniel interrupted him.

“Hey! There’s no need to talk to me like that! If you had a problem with it why didn’t you just tell me?” He hadn’t meant to start a heated argument, but he couldn’t help it.

“I don’t have a problem with it!” Johnny said loudly.

“Then why are you acting like this?” Daniel matched Johnny’s voice, he was frustrated.

“Not everything is about you, LaRusso.”

“I know that, but I thought since you’re acting like this towards me… surely it had to do with me.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong. We can’t live like this. I’m tired of it!”

“I can’t!”

“Why?!” Johnny didn’t answer him, he just turned around and walked away.

“Johnny?” Daniel sounded surprised. He hadn’t expected him to leave. He tried to walk after him. But Johnny stopped and spun around.

“Leave me alone!” Daniel stopped immediately and backed away slightly. He stood helplessly and watched as Johnny walked away. What had he done wrong?

* * *

Johnny clenched his fists as he walked. Straight past his car, he needed fresh air and he thought that it would help him to move rather than be stuck in a car. Why did Daniel have to bring the awkwardness up? Why didn’t he just leave it alone? He just wanted to get back to how it was. And Daniel couldn’t leave it alone. He just had to analyze it, to get them to talk about their feelings. Why did he have to fall in love with Daniel fucking LaRusso of all people? Why couldn’t he have found someone else? He actually knew the answer to that. Because Daniel didn’t let him get away with his bullshit, but he also didn’t leave if Johnny accidentally went too far. It helped him grow and relax, he didn’t feel on edge when he spoke to Daniel. Because he wouldn’t leave him. He stayed because he must have seen something in him that most people didn’t. And that was just one of the things that Johnny loved about him. Maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he told Daniel the truth. Even if he didn’t feel the same. At least it would be out in the open. And they could move on from that. They’d gotten over far worse things together. But he was still afraid. He hated feeling so vulnerable. He let out a groan and kept walking. He had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

Daniel had no idea what had just happened. He stood looking at Johnny’s retreating back while his mind was spinning. Was Johnny really that bothered by what Daniel had told him? That he’s bisexual. He knew that Johnny sometimes struggled with progressive things, but he’d also seen how he’d acted around the LGBTQ+ kids in their classes. And he was actually really supportive. He’d seen him talking to them and comforting them, so it surprised him that he’d react in this way when it came to Daniel. Maybe that wasn’t it. But he couldn’t figure out what else it could be. He walked back into the house and made himself some toast as he kept running through their conversation from their movie night in his head, trying to find something. A clue, as to why Johnny was acting the way he was. He didn’t come up with a single theory.

* * *

Daniel looked up when he heard the soft knock on the door.

“Johnny?” He was honestly surprised to see him after he walked away the day before. He’d seemed so angry.

“Can I come in?” Johnny’s voice was quiet, and Daniel silently stepped aside to let him pass.

“I’m sorry if I upset you yesterday… we don’t have to talk about…”

“Daniel…”

“…you called me Daniel…” Daniel said, almost in awe. He hadn’t heard Johnny call him _just_ Daniel since he fell of the ladder.

“… yeah, because it’s your name…” Johnny hesitated. He’d made the decision to come clean. Daniel deserved to know the truth. Even if that meant that he would send Johnny away.

“You never call me just Daniel…”

“I know…”

“You called me Daniel when I fell from the ladder too…” Daniel was tense, his hope beginning to grow.

“Yes…”

“You held my hand…” He’d started to put the pieces together, something he’d failed the night before. It hadn’t been until he heard Johnny saying his name again that it had started to make sense.

“…yes…” So he had noticed that, Johnny thought. He almost changed his mind about telling Daniel about his feelings, if he knew that Johnny had held his hand, _surely_ he must know about his feelings for him.

“Why?”

“You must know why…” Did he really have to spell it out for him?

“No, I don’t…” Daniel refused to be the first one to confess.

“That man you like… who is he?” This was the moment. Soon it would all fall apart.

“I won’t tell you unless you tell me why you called me Daniel…” Johnny’s response was to grab Daniel’s face, he pressed their lips together. Daniel opened his mouth in surprise. _‘So, that’s why’_ he thought as he wrapped his arms around Johnny’s middle, pulling him closer. They both started to smile, still kissing. Taking their time to enjoy the moment they’d both been longing for.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Johnny asked breathlessly when they pulled apart. Still holding each other tight.

“Why didn’t you tell _me_?” Daniel countered. It would have saved him a lot of heartache.

“I just did!” Johnny exclaimed.

“I mean before this.” Daniel couldn’t stop smiling as he said it. He couldn’t believe it.

“I didn’t think you could ever feel that way about me to be honest. Why would you?” Johnny shrugged.

“That’s what I thought too.” Daniel let out a relieved laugh before suddenly stopping to ask.

“So, just to be clear. You do actually like me in that way?” Daniel looked into Johnny’s eyes as he asked the question. He had to be one hundred percent sure.

“I don’t go around kissing every man I see, LaRusso.” Johnny sounded amused. How could anyone misinterpret this situation?

“Back to LaRusso again…” Daniel sounded disappointed.

“Do you really like it _that_ much when I say Daniel?” Johnny raised his eyebrow and smiled slightly.

“… yes… don’t judge me.” Daniel looked down, to hide the slight blush that crept onto his cheeks.

“I would never… Daniel.” Johnny said, voice low before gently taking Daniel’s face in his hands again, kissing him softly. He could get used to this.

* * *

**Six months later.**

“No, no, no!” Johnny exclaimed when he saw Daniel coming round the corner, carrying a ladder.

“I have to…”

“No, I’ll do it. I don’t want you to repeat what happened last time.”

“It’s not likely to happen again.”

“Yeah, well… I don’t trust you.”

“Okay, let’s make a deal. You can hold the ladder for me. Make sure it stands still.” Johnny was about to protest.

“Think of the benefit.” Daniel winked at him and Johnny blushed slightly at the hint.

“You don’t have to go up a ladder for that.”

“I know, but I need to finish the job. I _want_ to finish the job. I’ve put it off long enough. And I thought I could treat you to a nice view.” He did appreciate Johnny’s concern for him, it was endearing. But he needed Johnny to understand that he wasn’t that fragile.

“You think way too highly of yourself.” Johnny huffed.

“Right…who was it that almost fell into the pond the other day when I was doing my exercises?”

“I… that had nothing to do with you.” Johnny had to look away from Daniel’s face. It had been embarrassing and what made it even worse was that Daniel laughed every time he thought about it. 

“You’re a miserable liar, Johnny Lawrence.” Daniel laughed and pressed a kiss to Johnny’s mouth.

“Now hold the ladder for me.”

“Fine, but I won’t catch you if you fall.” He sounded reluctant. He really didn’t want Daniel to climb that ladder, but if Daniel was anything, he was stubborn. And he could do nothing to stop him.

“Yes, you will.” Daniel smiled as he climbed up the ladder. He glanced back at Johnny, waiting for him to notice.

“What are you wearing?” Johnny had missed Daniel’s outfit. But now, now he saw it clearly. Daniel was wearing tight fitting jeans shorts, and it looked as if Daniel had cut them off himself.

“You like them? I was looking through one of my photo albums the other day and I saw a picture where I had these on. Well not these exactly, they wouldn’t fit. But I thought I would give them a try again. Or should I throw them away?”

“No! I mean… whatever, you can wear whatever you want.” He tried to keep it cool. Daniel turned back towards the house again, he made sure to really show Johnny how good he looked. And hoped that he’d take it as a promise of what would come later when he’d finished working on the house.

* * *

When Daniel was finally finished, he climbed down a bit and carefully turned around on the ladder to face Johnny.

“I’m done.”

“Finally.” Johnny sighed. While he did enjoy watching Daniel working, especially in those shorts. He was starting to get tired of standing there holding the ladder for him.

“Are you not coming down?” He asked when Daniel remained standing on the ladder.

“I’m not sure I can… I think you’ll have to help me down.” Daniel gave him a sly smile. Johnny took a step closer and he smiled when he felt Daniel’s arms around his neck. And before Daniel knew it. Johnny had grabbed them and hoisted him up, fireman style.

“What are you doing?!” Daniel squealed. This wasn’t what he had planned.

“Getting you down from the ladder, what does it look like?” Johnny said casually. He turned around and started walking. Daniel’s eyes widened as he realized where Johnny was going.

“No! Not the pond, not the pond!” Daniel shrieked.

“Stop squirming!”

“I beg you!”

“You know the Cobra motto.” When they finally reached the pond Johnny carefully threw Daniel in it. He was laughing when Daniel broke the surface.

“You’re so immature!” Johnny bent down as Daniel spoke. Grinning at him.

“Stop whini…” he was interrupted by Daniel dragging him into the water. He should have known better than to get closer to edge. He spluttered when he came back up for air.

“That’s cheating!”

“Cheating?! You carried me here and threw me in, how is THAT not cheating?” They both started to laugh and met in a sloppy kiss. They were very much still in their honeymoon phase and they kept kissing at every opportunity they could find. Both feeling and acting like a couple of teenagers with their first real relationship. After a couple of minutes of kissing and laughter they both climbed onto the balancing board and laid down beside each other. Daniel reached out and took Johnny’s hand.

“I still can’t believe this is happening.” He said and turned his head to look at Johnny.

“What do you mean?” Johnny mirrored Daniel’s position.

“Us. I really am happy that we’re together.”

“Don’t go all soft on me now, LaRusso.”

“I’m trying to be sweet!” Johnny smiled and scooched closer.

“You don’t have to, Daniel.”

“Say it again.”

“God, you’re so needy.” He chuckled.

“Please…”. Daniel said softly and looked at Johnny with those beautiful brown eyes of his.

“Daniel…” Johnny dropped his voice down low, whispering into Daniel’s ear. He didn’t know why Daniel loved hearing him say his name, but he did. And Johnny loved saying it. Not that he’d ever tell Daniel that, he pretended to do it just for Daniel’s sake. But the truth was that he loved sneaking up behind Daniel, wrapping his arms around his middle and whisper his name in his ear. Feeling Daniel leaning into him in response, knowing that he had a big stupid grin on his face.

“Johnny…” Daniel said before he closed the gap between them to show Johnny just how much he loved hearing him say his name.

* * *

“Um… dad…” Sam stood looking at her dad and Sensei Lawrence, kissing on the balancing board.

“Shit!” Daniel momentarily forgot that he was laying on the balancing board and stood up way to fast, resulting in both him and Johnny ending up in the water again.

“Sam! I can explain!” He spluttered when he reached the surface.

“I got the…” Robby walked up to stand beside Sam, he stopped talking as soon as he saw his dad and Mr. LaRusso standing in the pond looking guilty.

“What’s going on?” Robby looked at Sam and back at the couple in the pond.

“Our dads… were kissing…” Sam managed to get out, she sounded confused.

“What?” Robby’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Look…” Daniel said as he struggled to climb out of the pond, Johnny made a move to help him but stopped when Daniel gave him a look.

“That was… I didn’t mean to…” He didn’t know what to say. He’d been planning to tell his kids. He and Johnny had talked about it. They’d both sit their kids down separately at the same time to tell them. His plan had not included his daughter and future stepson finding out by seeing their dads making out. He looked back at Johnny and stretched out a hand to help him out of the pond. Johnny hesitated before he took it and pulled himself out with Daniel’s help.

“Come on. Let’s sit down.” He walked over to the wooden deck, still holding Johnny’s hand.

“So… you kiss now…” Sam said as they walked.

“How long have you been doing that?” Robby asked as soon as they sat down, looking at his dad.

“Um… six months…” Daniel decided to take the lead. He didn’t dare leave the answering up to Johnny.

“Six months?! Dad!” Sam sounded outraged.

“Look… I know it doesn’t make sense. But I really like him.” Daniel closed his eyes. This was going _so_ well.

“Thanks.” Johnny muttered.

“You wanna take over?” He said, glaring at him.

“No, you’re doing a _great_ job.” Johnny said, slight mocking tone to his voice.

“I just… don’t… get it…” Sam said slowly.

“You fight all the time.” Robby stated as a matter of fact.

“It _is_ kind of hot when…” Johnny started before Daniel cut him off.

“Please!” Daniel glared at him again.

“I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

“Well, don’t.” Daniel sounded firm and he kept his eyes on Johnny until he noticed that both of the kids were shaking. Daniel looked at them both with concern.

“Are you okay? Are you upset?” He said softly.

“I can’t do it!” Sam burst out, turning to look at Robby.

“Same!” And they both burst out laughing.

“… why are you laughing? Are you sure you’re okay?” Daniel was seriously concerned now, was this a normal reaction to this kind of news? He looked at Johnny who looked equally confused.

“What’s going on?” Johnny finally asked them, he noticed the tears streaming down their faces. He didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry dad, but… you’re not the best at having a secret relationship.” Robby managed to say, once he’d calmed down a little.

“What do you mean?” Johnny said, still confused.

“We’ve known for months. We were just waiting for you to tell us.” Sam answered while wiping her tears from her cheek.

“How?” Daniel said weakly. He thought that they’d been so careful.

“Anthony. He saw you guys kissing and he told us. After that it was obvious.” Sam smiled widely and shrugged, but when she noticed her dad’s face her smile faltered.

“Are you okay, dad? We didn’t mean to hurt you. We don’t mind, honestly.” She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Hugging him tightly, she smiled when she felt him returning the hug.

“You didn’t hurt me. I’m just surprised.” He let out a relieved laugh.

“Um… what about you?” Robby looked at Johnny, he sounded unsure. Johnny looked up at him and his heart ached. When would they be able to feel as comfortable as Daniel and Sam did in their relationship he wondered.

“I’m fine. I’m honestly surprised he managed to keep it a secret for as long as he did.” He didn’t need to look at Daniel to know that he’d rolled his eyes at the statement.

“Johnny.”

“I’m just telling the truth.” Johnny shrugged and grinned at Daniel.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Daniel said after he’d shook his head at Johnny.

“Yeah, it’s honestly really entertaining.” Sam said with a slight laugh.

“Entertaining?” Daniel asked, once again confused.

“Have you not heard yourselves? You act like you’ve been married for twenty years.” She said and Daniel blushed slightly and glanced at Johnny. Johnny in turn tried to hide a smile.

“He does nag a bit, doesn’t he?” Johnny looked at Sam and made a face, making her laugh.

“Yeah, and you do everything dad tells you to.” Daniel burst out laughing at that.

“She’s got you there.” Johnny rolled his eyes but he still had a stupid grin on his face.

“So… what now?” Robby asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“I don’t know… I’ve never done this before…” Daniel said. Robby asked a good question. What now? He pondered the question for a moment until he realized something.

“Oh… by the way, don’t tell grandma.” Daniel looked at Sam, pleading with his eyes.

“She will kill me.” Johnny added and Sam let out a chuckle.

“Yeah… probably… but dad, you have to tell her at some point.”

“I know… but I’ll have to plan it carefully. Unless…” He gave her a look and she shook her head forcefully.

“Oh no! You’re on your own!” Daniel smiled softly.

“I know.” They fell silent again until Johnny spoke.

“You guys hungry?” Johnny stood up and offered Daniel his hand. He accepted and pulled himself up to stand beside him.

“Yeah…” Both of the kids said and smiled.

“Pizza?” Johnny looked at the kids and then at Daniel to get approval.

“YES!” They both exclaimed loudly. Daniel smiled.

“Guess we’re having pizza. We’ll go as soon as we’ve changed out of these wet clothes.” They were about to walk into the house when Robby spoke quietly

“Um… dad?”

“Yeah?” He turned around to face him, he noticed that both Sam and Daniel walked away to give them privacy and he was grateful.

“I’m happy for you. And for Mr. LaRusso…”

“Thank you…” They stood in silence for a few seconds before Robby walked closer and wrapped his arms around Johnny’s neck. Hugging him tightly. Johnny smiled as he returned the hug. They weren’t quite at LaRusso level yet, but they were getting there. They pulled apart.

“I better get changed.”

“Yeah… I’ll go wait with Sam.” They went their separate ways. He was still smiling when he met Daniel inside the house.

“Everything okay?” Daniel asked and put a hand on Johnny’s arm.

“Yeah… he hugged me.” Daniel’s smile matched Johnny’s.

“That’s great. I’m so glad that you’re getting closer.”

“Me too.” Johnny said and kissed Daniel before he went to the closet to get dry clothes. Johnny had more or less moved in with Daniel in secret, and he had most of his clothes there. But the rest of the house they’d kept free of Johnny’s things, to not give away their secret.

“I’ll just get changed and we can go. And then we’ll pick up Anthony on the way.” Daniel looked at Johnny in surprise.

“Anthony?”

“Yes… your other kid… your son… we need to _officially_ tell him too.” Johnny said as he pulled his wet t-shirt over his head.

“Of course… I just…” Daniel smiled as he walked up to him, taking Johnny’s hand, squeezing it.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Being you.”

“What does that even mean?” Johnny sounded confused.

“You’ll figure it out.” Daniel said softly before walking out of the house to join the kids, leaving a confused Johnny behind. Johnny might not know it himself, but Daniel had figured out who Johnny Lawrence was. Johnny was a man who was capable of so much love and caring, he just didn’t know how to express it. But Daniel saw it in the little things and that’s one of the many things he loved about him. He smiled to himself as he walked. Who would have thought that Daniel LaRusso would fall in love with Johnny Lawrence?

**Author's Note:**

> So there we have it. Did I choose a cheesy title? Yes. Did I write a cheesy/silly fic? Also yes. Do I regret it? No. Jokes aside, I hope you liked it :D


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